Silver Sleigh Bells
by Suppi-chan2
Summary: A certain snow haired boy ponders on what to get for his other self... Please R&R!


Silver Sleigh Bells

By: Suppi-chan

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It was that time of the year again. The frosted streets were decorated with lush bunches of pine and maple, and shimmering lights would illuminate the usually dull streets. Occasionally, light pieces of fluffy snow would elegantly dance down from the heavens and cover the city of Domino in a beautiful winter blanket. Every heart was in the cheerful Christmas spirit except for one tortured soul. 

This one had no pureness left in his bleeding heart, for he had been cramped up in an inanimate object for over 3,000 years. Although his light had managed to soften him up a bit, he still felt like an ugly duckling. He had fallen for the one that unlocked him from his lonesome room, but not in a lover's way. He considered the snow haired angel as a little brother; one he must care for and protect. Although his heart nagged him to open up, reveal his true nature, he could not and would not. He was a stubborn ass that wouldn't allow himself to be loved, for love only brought pain and suffering, right?

But… wasn't it also love that brought happiness?

~~~~~~~~~~

It was exactly one week from every child's favorite holiday: Christmas. Toy shops around the crowded city were covered in vivid, colorful lights in attempt to bring out the holiday spirit. Ryou Bakura casually strolled down the damp sidewalk dressed in his Mediterranean blue school uniform. A chilly breeze nipped at his ears, causing his milky hair to blow in his pale face. His toes were frozen icicles due to the ice and he could barely feel any part of his numb body while walking to school.

/Mental note to self: wear more clothing in the winter./

A display in the Kame Game Shop caught his eyes as he waltzed by Yuugi's home. A bunch of duel monster cards littered the misted window, but there was one thing in particular Ryou was gazing at. His chocolate colored orbs were fixed on an Egyptian Pendent. It had a boarder of smooth, shiny gold and had a place to put a picture or paper in. Breaking out of his trance, Ryou continued to trudge through the frigid air to his final destination.

~~~~~~~~~~

At school, Ryou met up with his friends as they engadged in a conversation about the holidays. It eventually turned into in a semi-interesting conversation about Duel Monsters, but it was cut short due to the noisy morning bell. Ryou rapidly stuffed his limp backpack into his locker and scampered to his first class: History.

The albino boy hastily slipped into his assigned seat just as the late bell rang. He gently tossed his History binder under the wooden desk and proceeded to take out his homework. His eyes skimmed over the paper, making sure it was correct and complete. After flipping to the backside, he realized that he carelessly neglected to do the last problems. Ryou promptly broke out his binder and practically tore out his Egyptian Hieroglyphic study guide.

The assignment had been about the mysterious Ancient Egyptians and their strange, but effective, ways of life. Unfortunately, Ryou had forgotten to do the questions about Egyptian writing. Part of the section required him to translate phrases found in a Pharaoh's tomb, but he was too tired and lazy to even look at the tedious problems. Ryou softly banged his head repeatedly against his binder until he was rewarded with odd stares. Embarrassed, the chalk haired boy silently laid his head down on his desk. 

The teacher began his monotone review over the homework; unaware most students weren't listening to his dull speech. Ryou's mind unconsciously wandered into dreamland where he was thinking about the gifts he had purchased for his beloved friends.

/A snowman pin for Anzu, some cards for Yuugi…/

"Mr. Bakura!" An abrupt noise broke the teenager out of his reverie. The educator gave a snort when he noticed Ryou had groggily raised his head off his desk. "Will you mind answering number twenty on last night's homework?"

/Number twenty… Number twenty… Oh, crud…/

Out of all the possibilities, fate had decided to hand Ryou one of the few problems he hadn't finished. It was the one where he had to decipher something written in a Pharaoh's tomb.

"Uh…" Ryou stuttered. The professor eyed him suspiciously.

//Here rests the body of the greatest ruler of Egypt.//

/What was that voice? It was smooth and calming… was it a ghost? Or maybe a spirit has come to haunt me! Wait, I don't believe in that kind of stuff anymore…/

Looking back at his paper, Ryou thought he was hallucinating; confusing was clearly written upon his face.

/Wait, what if it was the other me?/

"Er…" He had nothing to lose now. "Here rests the body of the greatest ruler of Egypt?" tentatively asked Ryou.

"Remember, I'm the one asking the questions but that was correct. Moving on now…"

The white haired boy sighed in relief as he wiped the sweat of his brow. Who had sent him that message? Surely it was his other self, but they had never really talked in a conversation together. By the way, was it hot or way it just him? Ryou rested his heated forehead on the palm of his hand as he averted his gaze to outside the window. His sight was hazy and he could barely make out the figures and blobs outside. Hmm… funny. He had also felt this way when getting out of bed…

Ryou felt extremely impotent and tired as he gradually slumped further down in his seat. The boy's headache augmented and his dizziness refused to pass.

"Bakura? You don't look too well." The teacher keenly observed. He placed a cool, wrinkled hand on Ryou's heated head. "Why don't you go home and rest up a bit?"

"Yes sir," was the faint reply that fell from the drained boy's lips. Ryou grabbed his belongings and unstable headed out the door. There was a faint, crimson blush across his features and his normally perky eyes were drooped. He had to use the cool lockers to assist him out of the normally crowded hallways for he was feeling weaker than usual.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ryou managed to stumble out of the school. He was heading home at a steady pace as he tried to keep himself standing. The sun was shinning its sparkling rays down to earth and the sidewalk had been cleared of the cold, shimmering snow. His knees threatened to buckle under him, but still the teen pushed on.

He had almost made it home when, suddenly, a gloved hand roughly seized the sick boy and aggressively dragged him into a murky alley way. Ryou's pupils grew in size as he realized what was happening to him.

"Gimme yer money, kid and I wont hert ya," spat the theive. Ryou started to stir, but this only caused the robber to painfully tighten his grip.

"Please! Let me go… I have no money on me…" Ryou sobbed. He had never been mugged before in his life! What was he to do?

The burglar withdrew a sharpened knife from around his belt and held it close against Ryou's scarlet cheek. "Yer lying, just like all t'em other peeps."

There was a magnificent flash of light. All of a sudden, the robber's victim looked more sharp, taller, and confident.

"Release me, you fool!" The mugger stared in disbelief. How could an innocent, young boy suddenly turn rough and harsh? It didn't matter. He would get what he came for.

"The money?" Impatiently spat the thief as he drew a thin streak of blood from the pale man in his grasps.

'Ryou' closed his eyes as a sinister smirk appeared over his face. He chuckled to himself before delivering a swift blow with his elbow to the older man's stomach. The mugger doubled over in surprise, dropping his knife on the frigid ground.

The snow haired child glared daggers at his attacker as he effortlessly whipped the dripping blood from his cheek. "Hmph! You dare to mess with me? Let's play a game… A Yami no Geemu!"

An evil, dusky mist surrounded the tainted alley way. 'Ryou' pick up the discarded knife and stood across from his opponent.

"This game is simple. I will draw a circle in the ice and divide it in two. You choose which territory you want, and then the game will start. I will begin by throwing this knife into the ice. If it lands in your territory, I get to draw a new line from where the knife landed extending from the center of the circle to the perimeter. I then get to scratch out one of my original lines and add your territory to mine. The first person to lose control over all the land in the circle or cannot complete the task of throwing the knife into the other player's territory loses."

'Ryou' drew a circle in the thick ice and divided it just as he said.

"Pick you side." The scruffy man pointed to the larger one.

"Very well. Let's begin." The mahogany eyed boy threw the knife into his foe's territory. He then drew a line and crossed out an old one, making his area only slightly bigger. "Oh, I forgot to mention the stakes. If you lose, I get the privilege of trapping your soul in this knife; if you win, you may gain possession of this rare item." The gambler pulled out the Sennen Ring from under his darkish blue uniform. His opponent's eyes gazed hungrily at the item, imagining how much it would sell for. "I guess that makes our bet official then. It's your turn." He handed over the deadly knife.

The mugger rudely snatched the knife and formed a gash in the ice. He smudged out one of his old lines and added a giant hunk of land to his extending boundaries. 'Ryou' only had a smidgen of land left. He took his turn and only regained a tiny sliver.

"Hm… You made a fatal mistake. By gaining so much land, it's extremely difficult to throw the knife into my territory. Even I don't think I could do it… You lose."

The burglar closely examined the playing field. The white haired creep had been right! He was tricked. There was absolutely no way he could manage that impossible throw. There was only one other option…

Foosh!

'Ryou' hardly managed to dodge the glint of silver that whizzed by his face.

"You have broken the rules of the Shadow Realm. This is you're punishment: Batsu Geemu!" The high school boy was surrounded in a winter blue aura as he pointed his finger at his enemy. The criminal screamed a high pitch holler as his soul was violently ripped from his body and placed in his very own knife.

"That's what you get for messing with my vessel."

~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, Ryou found himself snuggled in his warm, cozy bed. How did he get there? All he remember was that mugger in the streets…

"Feeling better?"

The poofy haired boy instantly sat up in his bed, looking for who had spoken to him.

"Do not fear, I'm not here to harm you. You're fever has gone down quite a bit. Would you care for something to ear?" asked the boy's twin. The mysterious figure looked exactly like him, only not. There were some major differences but they could surely pass for brothers.

Ryou could only nod. The other one silently left the room, but was stopped short by his double.

"Wait, are you the other me?" 

The dark one peeked over his shoulder. "Yes, I suppose."

"Are you…human?"

Ryou's twin ruefully looked down at his hands. "I'm a spirit, I guess; I don't have a body of my own anymore. That's why I appear to be transparent. In fact, I really don't know where I came from either…"

"Do you have a name?"

"My memory is so faded. I don't remember a thing." Not wanting to continue the subject, he left the room in order to prepare something edible for his sick patient.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Ryou? What is this… Christmas thing you keep on mentioning?" It was night in the city. Brilliant lights jubilantly shinned through the see-through curtains.

"It's a Christian holiday that symbolizes when the savior was born. It's also a tradition to exchange gifts with loved ones…" Loved ones… Wasn't his other self one of those people? He had provided him with nothing but comfort, company, and friendship. When his father wasn't home, he had always been there to help manage the house and prepare scrumptious, warm meals.

Ryou curled up in his covers. What should he get him? It was really a difficult question considering his other self remembered almost nothing from his past… He would think about it in the morning.

The ancient spirit left the room with questions buzzing in his brain. Well, this Christmas thing didn't seem too bad. He would only have to wait two more days to see what it was like.

~~~~~~~~~~

Light flooded the room as the curtain was practically ripped off the top of the window.

"Wake up, you lazy bum! You said you were supposed to meet your friends at nine-thirty! It's ten o-clock now." The darker one had his hair in a loose ponytail and was wearing a faded pink apron. He was cleaning the house in case Ryou and his friends wanted to come over.

Ryou tossed in his already messy covers. "Mph…. Lemme sleep some more…"

A small pebble hit his window as some voices shouted, "Hey, Bakura! Hurry up, will ya?"

"…Aww…," Ryou groaned as he left the snuggling warmth of his bed. He gave a shout down to his friends and sluggishly got changed for the day.

~~~~~~~~~~

After building charming snowmen and sledding down a bumpy hill, Ryou was…pooped. It had been a great outing with his friends; he invited them all to some over to his house. While walking down the street, they passed by Yuugi's game shop. There was the same colorful display in the window…That was it! The boy with silver locks plastered a big smile on his pallid face. He knew what to get for his other self…

~~~~~~~~~~

Christmas. The day where "Santa" came to all good children's houses and littered their homes with presents. Ryou enjoyed opening the gifts from his father while his darker half was cooking up a storm in the kitchen. Mmmm… He could almost taste the fluffy, buttermilk pancakes the other was preparing in the other room; oh, that delicious aroma! How the warm, melted butter and thick, rich maple syrup would soak into the golden orbs of batter…

"Ryou! Breakfast is ready!" Ryou snapped out of his daydream and scampered to the kitchen table.

The two twins sat down at the kitchen table, which was decorated with darkish shades of red and green and small, whitish-yellow candles. They began their meal in silence; each saying their own private prayer to themselves. They ate in silence as the petite candles on the table slowly waned away.

"Uh… Other me?"

"Hm?"

"Well…um… I'd like to give this to you. It's a gift…kind of a thank you for being there for me."

Ryou's double took the small cardboard box from his other's hands. He had a jingle feeling in his heart; he couldn't remember ever feeling like this. A shaky hand slowly opened the box. Inside lay a beautiful golden Egyptian pendent. He held it up to eye level; what had ever possessed the boy to go through this much trouble… for him?

"I saw it while window browsing. Since you don't remember your name, I want to help you find out what it was. When you remember it, you can put it inside that so you wont ever forget it again." He explained. A faint blush was spread across his face, afraid of his other's response.

Staring in disbelief, the othjer finally gave a tender smile. "Thank you. Merry Christmas, Ryou."

"Merry Christmas, Yami."

'It is better to have loved then to never love at all'

~Unknown

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A/N: Was that sappy or what? Please tell me what you thought. R&R!! ^^


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